


The Power of Heroes

by Magical_Devil_Alex



Series: DC Shenanigans [2]
Category: Captain Marvel (DC), DCU (Comics), Shazam! - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Billy Batson protection squad, Fluff, Gen, Magic, i will make that a tag so help me, little bit of both
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-09-30 03:50:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17216480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magical_Devil_Alex/pseuds/Magical_Devil_Alex
Summary: When Captain Marvel's secret identity is revealed to the rest of the Justice League, they are none to happy about it. The question is: will they let him stay, now that they know the truth? Or do they kick him out of the Justice League?AKA, the sequel to The Power of Gods that literally everyone asked for.





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Just so you know, this story will have two outcomes, both with their own different ending. I hope you enjoy both!~

Even without the wisdom of Solomon, Billy Batson knew that he would always end up right here. No matter the circumstances, the time, the explanation, he knew that the second he revealed that he was Captain Marvel to the rest of the League he would end up here. And he  _hated_ it.

He especially hated the stares. Billy has been stared at his entire life, ever since his Mom and Dad died in that fateful plane crash. At first it was with pity and sorrow, every adult trying to be kind to him as he cried and cried with his sister. Then it was with disgust when he was with his Uncle Scrooge, his uncle that never even wanted him in the first place, his uncle that never even bothered to look for his lost twin. After that it was with frustration, mainly from the social workers as he went home to home looking for someone to take him in. He never lasted more than a month in a home, and after two years of doing that horrible routine, he finally ran away, away from the disappointment and anger that constantly poured from everyone around him. 

While on the streets, the people of Fawcett City stared at him with distrust and caution, rarely coming near him. Even with the crystal reputation the city was famous for, the civilians that lived there knew the horrors the city hid behind its pristine and perfect mask. The crime, the dirt that stained the underside of the buildings, spreading so that even the children felt its poison. The civilians knew that you couldn't trust anyone you didn't know, and even then you had to stay on your toes. They always appeared friendly, and in their hearts most of Fawcett City  _was_ good, but it usually stayed guarded behind the darkness. A darkness that only started to fade when Captain Marvel came around.

When Billy was given his powers by the Wizard, Fawcett City looked at him in a way he's never been stared at before. It took him a while to understand what it was, but he realized it one day when a woman grabbed him by the hands and smiled at him with tears in her eyes, thanking him profusely for saving her daughter. 

It was  _hope._ They looked at him like those in Metropolis looked at Superman or Central City looked at The Flash. The looked at him and saw a  _hero,_ someone that could bring them the light after being trapped for so long in the darkness without any help. Captain Marvel could be the one to help clean up Fawcett City, the one that could make that perfect reputation  _true._       

And it seemed that he was on the right path, especially when a year later he was approached by The Justice League and asked to join them. He accepted of course, after all, who wouldn't? All of his childhood heroes asking him,  _Billy Batson,_ to help save the world. It was an amazing feeling, by far the best feeling he's ever had in his entire short life, even if they too stared at him, mainly with confusion and bewilderment. They wanted to know who he was, where he came from, why he was the way he was, but he never told. He couldn't bare to tell them that he was actually eleven years old, couldn't bare the looks he knew would come, the wisdom of Solomon only amplifying his imagination, even as the wise god tried to calm him. 

The only one to ever find out was Batman, and even then Billy knew it was because of how thorough the dark knight was. He was going to eventually tell the other hero about his identity, after all he didn't want to be on the dark knight's bad side. But then Batman approached him, telling him that not only did Captain Marvel get to stay on the League, but that he would keep his identity a secret as well. 

After that, for once in Billy Batson's life, everything was  _perfect,_  or as perfect as it could ever get. Fawcett City loved him more than ever before, he had those he would call friends in the Justice League, and he even found someone who would take him in and care for him. Uncle Dudley was amazing, one of the kindest and understand people he's ever met, and he even knew about Captain Marvel! It was... great.

But then he was captured by that madman, threatening a boy not much older than himself with death if he didn't turn back into his mortal form. Then he saved the boy, at the cost of his secret identity.

Then he was brought to the Watchtower to decide if he should stay on the Justice League.

Then the League, filled with people he thought of as friends, began staring at him with disbelief and horror as they were told his secret.

"The Justice League will now bring this meeting to order," came the deep voice of Batman, filling every inch of the large room. The talking ceased, making Billy painfully aware of every sound and pair of eyes around him. It took all of Achilles's courage to keep from staring down at the floor, but he managed, keeping his chin up and his eyes solid, not wavering for a second, but he couldn't stop fiddling with his hands, a nervous tick he's never been able to get rid of. He tried to tell himself that he's faced worse things, that this was nothing, but in his heart he knew that this wasn't just another villain to take down. This was his judgement, and it would be done by his heroes.

"We come here today to discuss the membership and reliability of Captain Marvel, AKA the twelve year old Billy Batson," continued the dark knight, the words hurting Billy far more than they should have. He trusted Batman, and he still did, especially for keeping his secret for so long, but sometimes he wished that the hero would have spilled his secret long ago so that he wouldn't be here. He knew that he wasn't the only one on trial within the League. Many others thought Batman should be in the same place Captain Marvel was right now for keeping this a secret.

Murmuring went throughout the League, and Billy found himself looking right in Batman's eyes, or at least, the cowl's eyes. The man's mouth was set in a hard line, jaw clenched and every muscle tense. With a small breath, Batman said, "the thing we must decide here today is this: do we let Captain Marvel stay in the League now that we know he's so young, or do we revoke his membership? If you have something you would like to say, do it now."

There was a moment of absolute silence as they all took it in, and then the voice of Wonder Woman filled the room. 

"This isn't just about how young he is; it's about the fact that no one was ever told about it, that we were lead to believe something that was never true. How are we supposed to  _trust_ someone, not just with our lives but with the  _world,_ that won't even bother to trust  _us?_ What would we have done if he had gotten hurt, _mortally_ so? How would we have reacted knowing that we put a  _child_ on the front lines of a war, and never knew about it until it was too late?" She looked up at Captain Marvel, at  _Billy,_ whose gaze was still fixed ahead, not one muscle moving as he listened. The princess of Themyscira gave a small sigh. "We should have  _known_ about this long before today. If we did, everything could have been different, but it's not."

She sat back down, just as Superman stood up. Even without looking at him you could feel his anger, barely controlled and hidden away. It's been there ever since he found about about Billy, something that makes the boy want to hide and curl into the smallest ball possible, hoping and praying that the man of steel couldn't see him. 

"Let's make this clear: no child should have been on the front lines, just like Wonder Woman said. He more than likely has a  _family,_ right here, right now that doesn't know about this. How are we supposed to justify constantly putting him in harm's way, justify all the danger we've put him in? What if there's a day when he doesn't go home, how are we supposed to  _justify_ to his  _family_ that we _knowingly_ made him a target? We can't, or at least,  _I_ can't. I know that if I had known before, he would never be on the Justice League at all, because like it or not, he is still a  _boy._ Boy's shouldn't be in charge with the trying to save the world. They should be enjoying their youth while they still have it." Superman's stare burned the side of Billy's head, a stare that he knew Batman's has been getting from the man of steel as well. 

Billy knew that the stare should make him cringe or flinched, especially when Superman just gave a speech on why he  _shouldn't_ be on the League, but there was nothing. There was only a cold resolve that pitted in the boy's stomach, resolve that hardened when he dropped his hands to his sides. It hurt, it  _really_ did to know that his childhood hero thought that he shouldn't be on the League, even after all they've been through and all of the heart to hearts they've had, but he didn't let himself get angry. His heart was still too big to ever get mad at  _any_ of them, no matter what they said to or about him.

As Superman sat down, another person stood up. A quick glance told Billy that it was Green Lantern, and the boy prepared himself for the harsh words that would inevitably fall out of his mouth. But Billy was surprised when the Lantern said something completely different.

"Am I the only one that thinks this whole thing is bullshit?" Green Lantern spat out, everyone giving him a startled look. "I mean, where in the League contract did it say that you  _must reveal your secret identity?_ Where? Because last I checked, it was  _your_ choice to decide whether or not you tell, not the League's. Captain Marvel didn't tell anyone, and guess what? He was never  _required_ to, never  _had_ to, because we decided as a  _team_ that you could keep your own secrets. How would you like it if someone sorted through your dirty laundry without your permission, and decided that the secrets that they found should have been revealed before?" The Lantern scoffed, shaking his head. "No  _wonder_ Captain Marvel never told any of us. If he did, we'd still be here, discussing what we should do about  _his_ secrets, about  _his_ life. This is his team too, his  _life_ were talking about, and as far as  _I'm_ concerned, that doesn't end because of who he is. Nothing about him has changed from the moment he met him to now," and with that, Green Lantern plopped down back into his seat.

Billy openly stared at him, stunned. It was some of the first emotion he's shown throughout this entire thing, but he couldn't help it. He never knew that Green Lantern felt this way, but it made his heart  _soar._

The Flash was quick to follow after Green Lantern, once again surprising Billy with going the exact opposite direction that he expected the speedster to go.

"It feels that we are forgetting something important here, in all of this madness, in all of this chaos. I think... we're forgetting just who Captain Marvel  _is._ Not the kid, not the hero, but our  _friend._ Our _friend_ that has never, not  _once_ hesitated in helping us. Our  _friend,_ who would gladly sacrifice himself if it meant saving someone else. Our  _friend,_ who has stood by everyone's side no matter what, whose heart never faltered in what he knows is  _right._ Green Lantern is right when he says that nothing about Captain Marvel is different, even if we do know his identity. To me, he is still, and forever will be, a  _friend._ I don't give a damn on how old he is, because Hell, he's saved my ass, he's saved  _all_ of your asses more times than I can count. And what do we do to _repay_ this friendship,  _repay_ the one who just wanted to help? We belittle him, say he can't do it because he's a  _child._ We tell him that he isn't worth it, even though everyone in this room knows that he would do _anything_ for them. Some friends  _we are."_  

The Flash's eyes met Billy's, who, like with Lantern, was staring at the speedster in shock. He quickly looked away however, his cheeks flushing with heat. After The Flash sat down, no one else stood up, Billy suspecting that everything that needed to be said had been said. It was relieved slightly, knowing that one way or another, this would all end soon. Though, he supposed no matter what happened the stares wouldn't stop.

"Captain Marvel, is there anything you would like to say before the League makes their final decision?" asked Batman. Billy looked up at him, forcing the blush on his cheeks to cool back to their normal stage. He gave a small nod to the dark knight, squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. He prayed that the gods, mainly Achilles and Solomon, would be able to help him say what he wanted to say. Billy's never been the best when it comes to words, mostly because there are few people that he talks to regularly that he actually  _trusts._ Sure, he's a friendly person and whatnot, but even he knows the possible dangers of talking to strangers.

"I... I just wanted to say that I understand where some of you are coming from when you say I should be kicked out of the League. I haven't told you guys the truth about me, and it's kinda hard to work with someone that you don't trust." Billy looked around the room, looking every single hero in the eye without breaking his gaze, even at Superman's still angry look.

"I want you all to know that no matter what happens, I don't regret becoming apart of the Justice League, and I don't regret becoming a hero. But there are a few things I want you to think about as you make your decision here today. One, if you can't look at me without seeing a child that needs constant supervision, can't look at me as a  _teammate,_ don't vote for me to stay. I want the same respect I try to give each and every one of you, and that means looking at me as a  _teammate._ Two, if you plan to keep me in the Justice League in order to try and give me help as a kid, to try and get me to stop being a hero, don't vote for me to stay. I don't want charity. I just want things to go back to normal, like this whole ordeal never happened. If you can't do that, don't bother.

"Finally, I want you to understand this: you can't stop me from being a hero. I don't care if you keep me on the League or not,  _nothing_ will stop me from doing  _whatever_ I can to not only protect the people of Fawcett City, but the people of Earth. As I told Batman long ago: I know I'm just a kid, I know that my experience is lacking in some places. Yet, the one who  _gave_ me these powers, the one who thought I was  _worthy_ of this title, knew that I was a kid as well. And still, he didn't care, still, he knew in this world filled with aliens and magic that it meant  _nothing._ I'll do  _anything_ to protect those who can't protect themselves with my power, and I'll do it whether or not you think I'm worthy of it. So," Billy's gaze stopped at Batman's, and if he looked hard enough he could swear that the dark knight had a  _smile_ on his face. It was faint and small, but there was no doubt that it was there. "I'll leave you to make your decision."

With that, Billy walked out of the room, knowing his presence was needed no longer. There would probably a few more comments here and there, but overall, the next period of time would be for them to make their decision and vote. It could take five minutes, it could take five hours. Either way, Billy doesn't want to be there. The weight of their stares was finally starting to get to him, and he didn't want to be the center of judgement anymore. 

When the boy exited the room, he immediately went for his favorite place in the entire Watchtower. Calling on his power of flight, Billy made his way to 'the dome' as he called it. It was in the main section of the Watchtower, right by the cafe, and the room was made entirely of glass, revealing the entirety of space around him. It gave a perfect view of the Earth and the sun, the stars twinkling beautifully everywhere he looked. It was an amazing few, and no matter how many times Billy saw it, it never failed to take his breath away.

As the boy flew up to the side where the Earth was most present, he wondered if this would be the last time he would see this view. 

Crossing his legs, Billy promised himself that he would commit this sight to memory, not matter the outcome. There he stayed for a time, though he couldn't tell you how long. To him it felt like an eternity and no time at all. Every moment was spent taking in the glory of his planet, one he would protect with every breath he had. 

"Billy. It's time."

The boy caught the reflection of Batman down below, his cowl off to show the man underneath. Billy has seen Batman's, or Bruce's, face one other time. It was when a massive blizzard had hit Fawcett City, so cold that the dark knight had found him half dead under a bridge with nothing but a sweater. The man had taken him to his house, promptly wrapped Billy in every blanket imaginable, and put him in front of the fire. For over a week he stayed there, horribly sick and barely conscious through most of it. He could vaguely recall the faces of others in the house with Bruce; Alfred his butler, who he thought was Nightwing, and some really tall man with a streak of white in his hair. The man with the white streak was more prominent in his mind, especially since when the man first saw him he picked Billy up like he was a piece of paper and started hugging him. Why Billy didn't know, but he did know the man was warm and he was cold. Later, when he was finally awake enough to be coherent, the man was gone.

Billy floated down to the ground, smiling sadly at Bruce when he turned around. Without any warning the man hugged him fiercely, but only for a moment as he pulled back to look Billy in the eye. "No matter what happens," Bruce whispered to him. "No matter what you hear here today, know that you're still a hero in my heart, got it?"

The boy only nodded, tongue too numb to trust it to speak.

He followed Batman back to the meeting room, his stomach twisting with nerves and anticipation. When he stepped into that room, his fate would be decided. Before that happened, he placed a hand on the dark knight's shoulder, causing the hero to turn around.

"Thank you, Bruce," he managed to say. "For everything."

And then he opened the doors of the room, the Justice League waiting behind them.                               


	2. Decision (First Outcome)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So this story will have two outcomes, this one being the first. Hope you enjoy!~

Captain Marvel walked into the Justice League meeting room, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Some of the heroes there refused to look at him, while other openly stared, making Billy want to fidget under their gazes. Batman, who was right behind the boy, swiftly walked to his place at the head of the room, his face a careful image of stone and indifference. Billy hated that look, but he understood why the dark knight put it on.

"Captain Marvel," the dark knight started, and Billy involuntarily began holding his breath. This was it. This was the moment he found out their decision, this was the moment he found out whether or not he stayed on the Justice League. He was prepared for both answers, though he had a feeling he knew which one it would be. He wasn't blind to the people around him or what they thought.

"We, the Justice League, have taken vote on if your membership shall remain, or be terminated." Batman paused, and for a split second Billy swore he saw a glimpse of a smile on the hero's face. But he must have been imagining it, right? 

"We have decided that you, Billy Batson, AKA Captain Marvel... will continue to be a member of the Justice League."

And just like that, all of the tension in the room snapped, relief flooding through Billy like a tsunami. He wanted to jump for joy, shout thanks to every god he could think of, and hug Batman all at once, but he didn't. He restrained himself as much as he could, though he couldn't stop the large smile that broke out onto his face. Some of the other League members mirrored the smile, the young hero's happiness easily spreading to them. Other's narrowed eyes or glared, not happy with the outcome, but Billy didn't even notice them. All he could think was that there was enough heroes, more than  _half_ of them, who thought he should stay. They thought he shouldn't be cast out because he was a kid, and that made him happier than he thought was possible. 

"Geez, I uh, I," Billy stuttered out, not sure what to say. He hadn't prepared for something like this at all, and the shear shock of it was making it hard for him to think properly. "Thank you so much I-" the boy cut himself off, taking a deep breath. "I promise you won't regret it."

Batman nodded, reverting back to his darker persona. "We will see that in time. Until then, this meeting has officially been dismissed."

The meeting room instantly filled with the sounds of people talking, mostly in hushed tones to keep their conversation more private. Billy took one last glance around the room, his eyes landing on Superman's. The man of steel's face was blank, but it did nothing to hide the emotion in his eyes, an emotion the boy was having a hard time understanding. Billy gave him a small smile, hoping that it would be enough to soothe the hero's doubts about him for now, before turning around promptly walking out of the room. He knew that there were probably others who wanted to talk to him, mainly The Flash or Green Lantern, but in all honesty he didn't want to interact that much anymore. All he wanted was to go home and see Uncle Dudley, who was surely waiting for his return. His adoptive uncle had been just as, if not  _more_ nervous about this whole thing as Billy had. 

Just as Billy was about to activate a zeta tube to Fawcett City, a voice came from behind him. "Wait." 

Billy froze in his place, looking behind him to see... Superman? 

The anger in the other's eyes had dampened quite a bit, definitely calmer than he had been a few minutes before. The Kryptonian looked conflicted, torn between two unknown forces that the boy didn't know. He didn't expect Superman to approach him after all of this, and honestly, Billy wouldn't have been surprised if that man of steel never approached him ever again. Superman had been  _very_ vocal on his feelings about Captain Marvel and Billy Batson, and hint: they were  _not_ good. 

"Yes, Superman?" Billy asked calmly. The other hero's eyebrows furrowed together, opening his mouth to say something, but quickly closing it again. It seemed that he was having difficulty saying what he wanted to say, something that Billy has felt many of times before.

"Just... be careful, okay?" the man of steel finally said. "I... I don't know what I'd do with myself if I let you get hurt."

Billy let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. He's fought every magical monster you could think of, literally went through Hell with John Constantine at his side, and dozens of other crazy things, and only  _now_ did Superman start to say he should be more careful? He knew it was probably the hero going into over protection mode now that he understood it was actually a child doing all of those things, but still, it felt kind of redundant at this point. 

"Don't worry about me, Superman," Billy replied, hoping he sounded comforting. "Now if you'll excuse me, my home it waiting for me."

The other hero simply watched as Captain Marvel activated the zeta tube, teleporting him to the photo booth in the back alleyway in Fawcett City. _It feels good to be back,_  the boy thought. The sun was just starting to set in the city he called home, the chill of winter starting to become stronger and sharper. Making sure that there was no one about to pass the alleyway, Billy looked to the sky and shouted, _"SHAZAM!"_

The familiar bolt of lightning came hurtling at him, and less than a heartbeat later he was struck by the magical bolt. Billy brushed off the excess ash and smoke that clung to his form afterwords, and with a pep in his step, and made his way home.

 

_Six months later..._

 

Billy made his way around the small diner, filling up coffee cups when asked to and taking orders when a customer wanted something else. All of the regulars like Miss Tarry and Mr. Johnson were brought their order before they even said anything (except if you were Mr. Gondon, who ordered something different every Tuesday morning when he showed up to Rana's Diner). 

The boy hurried over to the kitchen window, where he had just heard the bell ringing, signaling that the next order was ready. "Who are these for, Ricky?" Billy asked, taking the plate of pancakes and the side of bacon in hand. When he first got this job three months ago, there was no way he would have trusted himself to carry these all in one go, now it was easy.

Ricky smiled at him from his place in the kitchen, the older boy's tall hair tucked into a hair net and currently flipping a couple of eggs. When Billy saved him as Captain Marvel six months ago, they had quickly become good friends, bonding over their shared experiences on the streets of Fawcett City. Ricky had a family now, just like Billy had Uncle Dudley, and the older boy offered this job to him. Billy of course accepted this offer, with the promise that if he suddenly disappeared for random periods of time that he wouldn't be fired from it. 

"They're for Dr. Falls down at the corner bench. Oh, and make sure you bring extra coffee to him. I swear the dude runs on that stuff," Ricky jokes, and Billy makes his way to the corner bench where Dr. Falls was. As he placed the breakfast on the table, he heard another more gentle bell ring, meaning someone new had entered Rana's Diner. Billy made the mental note to go and find them after glancing at the two new customers, both men wearing suits.

Billy filled up Dr. Falls' cup with coffee, making light conversation with the older man. He always liked it when the doctor visited, though they were few and far in between, with his job taking up most of his time. He was funny and made jokes about everything in existence, never failing to make Billy laugh. He would have loved to spend more time with Dr. Falls, but Billy knew he had responsibilities to take care of.

After reassuring the doctor that indeed, everything was going alright in school, Billy made his way to the two men that had entered the diner. They were in a booth right by the giant window that showed the beautiful day outside, and after a brief observation, the boy decided that he's never seen the two men here before, though something about them seemed awful familiar. The one facing him as he walked over was wearing thick, black framed glasses, black hair slicked back and blue eyes intensely focused on his companion, who Billy had a harder time seeing.

The boy grabbed a few pot of coffee on his way over, humming quietly to himself. He came in front of the two's table, saying cheerfully, "welcome to Rana's Diner! I'm Billy, your server-" he abruptly cut himself off when he saw the man sitting across from the one with glasses. "Bruce?"

Said man's eyebrows shot up when he saw the boy, the look of surprise on his face swiftly controlled with a smile and a chuckle. "Billy? I didn't realize you worked here on Saturday's," he said casually, as if they somehow knew each other under normal circumstances, which was  _far_ from the truth. Billy's eyes darted to the other man, wondering if he knew about Bruce's, ah,  _activities._ The other man also had a look of surprise on his face, though he didn't hide it nearly as well as Bruce did. 

"Work on Saturday's? Uh, wait, you knew I worked here?" Billy asked, his face flushing. Of  _course_ Batman knew where he worked. Because he's freakin  _Batman._

Bruce just chuckled at the boy's embarrassment, gesturing to the man across from him. "I don't think you two have ever been properly introduced. Billy, this is Clark, a friend of mine. Clark this is Billy."

Billy's eye widened as he looked at Clark, the pieces of why he looked so familiar suddenly rushing into his head. "Holy moley," he whispered to himself. He knew Superman's real name was Clark because of the man of steel telling him a little while ago, but he's never met him as a  _civilian_ before. Come to think of it, the only hero he's ever met as  a civilian was Bruce, and even then it was only because the boy was half dead in a blizzard. 

But before the boy could say anything else, however, the ground around started to shake and wobble, like there was a sheet that got pulled from under their feet at the exact same time. Billy instinctively grabbed onto the side of the table, looking out the window of the diner to see what looked like some sort of dinosaur like being making its way through the streets of Fawcett City. He knew instantly that it was a situation that Captain Marvel must intervene before too many people got hurt.

"Of course Sivana would make a freaking dinosaur," he said, mainly to himself, but Clark's eyes darted to his, as if asking what in the world that was supposed to mean. Billy simply shrugged, yelling over to Ricky, "you can get them to safety, right?"

The older boy nodded firmly, already gathering up the other customers in the diner to get them to somewhere safe. Billy was just about to run out towards the prehistoric reptile when a very strong (almost  _scarily_ strong) hand grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. "Where are you going?" Clark demanded, causing the boy to simply look up at him.

"I'm doing my job."

Clark let go of him, probably more shock than anything, but Billy used the moments to sprint outside, following the destruction that the dinosaur had left behind him. Without another moment to waste, unaware of the two pairs of eyes staring at him, Billy called out,  _"SHAZAM!"_

Clark watched as the boy was turned into his godly other form, shooting off the ground to confront the dinosaur. "We should go help him," he protested to Bruce, but the dark knight simply shook his head and gave a small grin. 

"I think Billy can take care of it, Clark. It is his city, after all."

"I know, it's just-" Clark cut himself off as a roar sended a shock wave through the city. The next moment Captain Marvel and the dinosaur were rocketing past the diner and up into the air.

"You still think of him as a kid," Bruce stated, making the other look back at him. "I understand why you might think that, but believe me, that 'boy' you see there shoulders and deals with more responsibility than we could ever dream of taking on. I think he can handle a simple creation from his own villain by himself." Bruce's tone left no room for argument, even if Clark wanted to. He took one last look back to the sky, where Captain Marvel was handling the situation.

He didn't protest when the boy Billy called Ricky lead him out of the diner.

 

_Two months later..._

 

"You know, for a giant space alien you sure  _look_ like you came from Earth," Green Arrow quipped, quickly rolling out of the way when said alien tried to breath fire at him. "And I see you don't like the comparison! My mistake." The archer began running, loading an explosive arrow into his quiver and swiftly firing it. The arrow landed perfectly right between the alien's eyes, exploding on impact. But the alien just roared, seemingly unhurt by it at all.

"Well  _crap."_

Why in the world did the League constantly assign him to the supernatural and space monsters? He was a dude with a freakin bow and arrow, and most of the time none of the tools in his arsenal did  _nothing_ to their opponent. He was basically one big annoying distraction while the others took it out.

Huh. Maybe  _that_ was his purpose at these things. 

"I should really invest in holy water arrows!" Green Arrow yelled dodging yet another wave of fire breath. Black Canary and Wonder Woman attacked it at the same time, but the Themysciran princess's sword did nothing to pierce the green skin and Canary's scream didn't phase it one bit. They were both quickly thrown out of the way by the alien's long, slimy arms, being knocked into a nearby building.

Green Arrow ran to them just as Batman came over the comm in his ear, sounding as emotionless and indifferent as usual. "We need a heavy hitter to help us take this one out."

"Geez, you think," the archer commented sarcastically as he helped Black Canary and Wonder Woman up. Cyborg was having his go at the alien, using that giant cannon of his to blast the thing. The alien roared once again, charging at Cyborg, who in a blink of an eye was teleported to the other side of the charging beast. "I thought just a couple of dudes with fancy weapons would take out a freakin  _space_ alien. I wonder why it didn't work."

The rest of his teammates either ignored him or didn't hear him (accept Canary. She just gave him a look and he shut up. He would like to go home with a happy wife that night) because he got nothing back. Instead, Cyborg asked, "is Superman available?"

The reply came from Batman, who had just thrown a bunch of batbombs (really, Bruce,  _bat_ bombs?) at the alien. "No, he's offworld with the Green Lanterns. The only Lantern currently here is Stewart but he's been assigned to something else and can't be of help to us at the moment."

Well dang. "What about Martian Manhunter?" Canary questioned, cracking her knuckles as she and the other two began looking for an opening. 

"On an undercover infiltration mission. He isn't expected to be back for another two weeks." 

Shit.

Green Arrow, Black Canary and Wonder Woman all lepted out of the way as a wave a fire as is swept across the ground, the heat singeing the bottom of the archer's boots. He had an idea in mind of who they could call, but he was kinda nervous to say anything, mostly because he wasn't sure how the others would react. Batman and Black Canary would probably be fine with it, but he had no idea about Cyborg and Wonder Woman. 

As the alien charged into another building, taking it half of it out in one go, Green Arrow decided that it didn't really matter. They wanted,  _needed_ a heavy hitter to take this guy out. 

"Captain Marvel's gotta be available, right? Surely he can give us five minutes of his time to help us take out this thing," Green Arrow said, firing another arrow at the alien, this time releasing a huge net. He realized that it wouldn't last very long, but it would be a useful distraction while it lasted, the alien swatting angrily at it.

His words actually caused Batman to stop in his tracks and stare a Green Arrow for a split second, like he was shocked that the archer ever suggested it. Green Arrow gave an awkwards smile and a wave, hoping the Bat wouldn't snap his fibula from the look he was being given. A moment later the dark knight was pressing a finger to his comm, barking out, "Captain Marvel. We need you at these coordinates ASAP." Without waiting for any kind of response the archer could see Batman turned it back off. 

"Wait," Wonder Woman protested, taking the moment to say something now that the alien was distracted. "Are we sure Captain Marvel's presence is needed here-"

"It doesn't matter now. He'll be here shortly." Batman's tone left nothing up for debate, even as the Themyscarian princess continued to glare at him with and expression that Green Arrow had trouble reading. The archer knew that Wonder Woman wasn't the biggest fan of Captain Marvel staying on the Justice League, something about a child on the front lines, even if they had the powers of gods on their side. Green Arrow understood that to a degree, but at the same time, when you have a ally with the power to go toe to toe with some of the most powerful beings in the universe, in his opinion you try and keep them on your side. Not that he think it would ever happen, but the last thing he wants is for Captain Marvel to suddenly turn evil or something and fight them, because boy, that is a fight that he would probably lose  _miserably._

Another minute later, in which Wonder Woman threw her shield and attempted to restrain the alien with her lasso, Cyborg gave another go at the cannon arm, with  _both_ arms this time, Batman threw a handful of batarangs with some sort of goo on them, Green Arrow shoot in arrow after arrow to pull away the aliens attention, and Black Canary used herself to distract it, there was a strong gust of air that nearly knocked the archer off his feet. The smell of lightning and ooze filled the air, and within a blink of his eye there was a figure in red slamming into the alien, knocking it back a good two hundred feet.

Right where the alien once was, Captain Marvel stood in his red clad glory, fists dancing with lightning. He turned his head to look at all of them, a bright smile on his face, like this was the most fun he's ever had. 

"Hey everyone!" he cheered, anda heartbeat later he was flying right back to the alien, lifting it up into the air with his strength and rocketing into the sky, leaving a small cloud of dust in his wake.

Green Arrow whistled, lifting his head to look to the place where Marvel disappeared. "Why don't we just bring him and Supes  _everywhere_ we go? If we did everything would get done twice as easily."

"Because most of the calls we get during the day happen to be when he's in school," Batman replied in a deadpan voice, casually burning a hole in the back of Green Arrow's head.

The archer's eyes widened, a feeling of  _of shit_ going through him. "Wait, so you're telling me the only reason he's here is probably because he skipped school or something?" he demanded, feeling kinda bad now that he knew. He  _should_ have realized that, given that it was 9:30 on a Wednesday morning, but the thought never crossed his mind. 

"No, I'm telling you he's here because he snuck out of class," Batman said back, as if  _that_ was supposed to explain everything. 

A moment later, Captain Marvel appeared back on the ground, no alien with him anymore. He still had that large smile on his face, cape fluttering in the unfelt wind around him. If he didn't know any better, Green Arrow might have thought him and Superman were somehow related. The kid even had the cape thing down pat! All he would need is a boy scout sash or whatever they wear (though, it's quite possible he already has one).

"No more alien, though that one  _was_ really cool," Captain Marvel exclaimed, uncrossing his arms to take a look of the destruction around him. "Holy moley, it sure did a number here, didn't it? I can stay to help for a little bit, but I can't promise to be here for the entire time. I have ah-" the red clad hero blushed a little bit, rubbing the back of his neck. "Other places to be soon."

But before any decision could be made on what to do about the wreckage, the media chose that exact moment to show up, first surrounding Marvel, who just so happened to be the closest. They all shoved their microphones and questions at him like fireworks, making the red clad hero look very uncomfortable and claustrophobic. While the other heroes knew that he was no stranger to the media wanting to interview him after a fight like this, he  _was_ a stranger to this many and this aggressive. Green Arrow's seen Fawcett City's reporters when they interact with Marvel; it's almost like they're speaking to a friend and having a casual conversation with the guy. Hell, more often than not, Marvel will actually call them by their  _names._ It was quite impressive if the archer were to be honest.

But the poor Captain was not used to Star City reporters. They were exactly use to seeing their resident heroes when they showed up, so when they  _did_ have one... it was basically a field day for them.

"Captain Marvel! Do you know what that creature was?" demanded one, the microphone in her hand practically shoved up Marvel's nose at this point. 

"Uh... I believe it was some kind of space alien," the Captain replied awkwardly, trying to back away from the mass around him. It didn't work very well.

"Where was it from?" questioned another, a man from the back with only a pen and paper. 

"Um, I don't really know?" he said, almost to himself. The poor guy probably would have been there all day if Batman hadn't stepped in, saying that they needed all the help Marvel could provide before he needed to go. The look on Marvel's face turned into instant relief as he went over to his fellow heroes, and for the next half hour the six of them did what they could to help the police and fire departments clean up the city and save those who got trapped under rubble. There was still much to do, but by this time Marvel started getting fidgety and kept glancing west. It was the direction of Fawcett City, Green Arrow realized. He was probably thinking about school and the things he had to do.

The archer knew that Batman was usually the one that would tell the other heroes when they could go, but Green Arrow just felt kinda bad for the kid. There was a good chance he was already in some form of trouble for skipping class, and the longer he stayed here, the worse it would get.

"Hey Captain, you can go now if you need to," Green Arrow told him after he moved a particularly large piece of rubble. Marvel immediately shook his head in protest.

"No, I'm needed here," he said firmly, like he was trying to make himself believe it. "Everything else can wait for a while."

Green Arrow sighed.  _"Billy,"_ he whispered. "It's fine. You did good work here today, Hell, you more than likely saved all of our collective asses. I'm just sorry I probably got you in trouble for asking Batman if you could be here."

Marvel stared at him, stunned. "Okay," he finally said, face flushing with both embarrassment and pride. Green Arrow couldn't help the rush of affection he felt for the other hero, though he refrained from hugging him so that the other's wouldn't see. Like it or not, he was still supposed to be professional here.

"Are you sure Batman won't get mad, though? He doesn't really like it when people disappear on him..."

The archer snorted, chuckling at the thought of the dark knight being mad at someone for disappearing without his consent. "First off, that just makes the Bat the biggest hypocrite around, and second, don't worry about ole' Spooky. I'll deal with him."

Marvel gave one last look around, seeing that most of the heavy lifting was done for now. With one last wave to Green Arrow, he shot into the sky, heading back to whatever school he went to in Fawcett City. The archer stared at the direction he went off to long after he couldn't see the hero anymore, a small smile on his face. 

"Good job kid," he whispered under his breath, wondering if the other could hear him. "Maybe next time I won't interrupt your algebra or whatever you do."

 

_Six years later..._

 

If Billy were to be honest, he never thought he'd live to the day where he graduated high school.

There were too many factors going against him: the fact that between eight and eleven he didn't go to school regularly, the constant responsibility of his hero duties that made him go away for sometimes days at a time, and everything in between. It wasn't that Billy thought he wasn't smart, heck, he  _knew_ he was smart, but if he ended up not having a high school diploma, he decided it wouldn't be all that bad. After all, he never expected most of the things in his life to happen the way they did, not Uncle Dudley, not Shazam, and defiantly not high school.

Yet here he was, dressed in a cap and gown, about to go on the stage that Fawcett High School had put up just for the occasion, ready to accept his diploma from Principle Kin. It was something that not even his wildest dreams could make up, but it was very, very real.

Billy's eyes found Uncle Dudley as his name grew closer and closer. The older man gave him a warm grin, his eyes encouraging and filled with excitement. He grinned back, hoping he didn't look as nervous as the butterflies in his stomach made him. He didn't have the courage of Achilles, but he  _did_ have the courage of Billy Batson, something that's grown stronger and stronger as he's gotten older. 

"Laylah Addison," Principle Kin called out, another round of applause coming from the large crowd of parents, friends, and fellow students. "George Alister... DeShawn Aster... Owen Baldwin..." and finally, "William Batson."

Billy began walking up the stairs, jumping slightly when he heard a lot more cheering than he expected to hear. There was Uncle Dudley of course, along with Ricky (he graduated two years ago, but promised Billy he would make it to the younger's graduation) and a few friends that he heard, but there was still way too many voices. 

_Who else would there be?_  he wondered, coming to the top of the stairs. He looked to the corner of his eye to look out to the audience, but it wasn't enough to give him a full view of the people there. He did however catch a glimpse of a group of people waving their arms like their favorite football team just scored a touchdown ro something. 

Billy shook the hand of Principle Kin as he took his diploma, feeling a swell of pride at the piece of paper being placed into his hands. As he started to walk off the stage, Billy turned his head all the way to the audience, hoping to get a look at that group (who was still cheering by the way,  _very_ loudly). He nearly stopped in shock when he did, his blue eyes widening with surprise.

Right in the middle of the audience was a group of eight people, eight very  _familiar_ people. As he walked off the stage one of the two women hushed a blonde with a goatee, glaring playfully at him. While the man acted like he didn't notice her, he did calm down, waving furiously at Billy when he realized that he saw them. 

Billy looked from Uncle Dudley to the group, trying to make sure he wasn't hallucinating or something. It honestly wouldn't have been the first time. But Uncle Dudley just shrugged, eyes twinkling. Billy took his seat, hoping the blush on his cheeks wasn't as strong as he thought it was. He was still so pale after all these years, even with as much time as he spent in the sun. He supposed some things would never change, like how he was still quite skinny and a bit shorter than all of the other guys. 

"Billy, do you know those people?" Owen Baldwin asked from beside him, his voice hushed. "I'm pretty sure I saw Bruce Wayne with them!"

If Billy hadn't been blushing hard before, he definitely was now. "Uh, yeah, I uh, I know them," he said lamely, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "They're uh, friends of sorts, I guess."

Owen's bright green eyes bore into him, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How are you  _friends_ with Bruce Wayne? That's insane!"

DeShawn shushed Owen from next to him, graciously giving Billy an excuse not to answer the question. Geez, how  _was_ he going to explain that? How was he supposed to tell everyone afterwords why a group of people and  _Bruce Wayne_ were here?

_Oh yeah guys, they're from the Justice League! We work together quite regularly, you know, normal everyday human things!_

Gods above he would probably die of embarrassment before he got the chance to think up an excuse.

The ceremony continued on like normal, but Billy couldn't concentrate, not when knew there were eight League members right behind him. He cast them looks every once in a while, making eye contact with both Green Arrow and Wonder Woman at two times. Well, Oliver Queen and Diana Prince, he guessed since they were in civilian form. 

Finally, Principle Kin got to the end of his list, calling out, "and finally, Raven Zenfill!"

Raven grabbed her diploma and took her place at the last chair available, and whole crowd erupting into cheers and Kin announced, "introducing, your new graduated Seniors!"

Everyone, including Billy, took off their caps, throwing them up into the air. They rained down like large pieces of confetti, people cheering and yelling with joy, friends hugging friends and meeting up with family. It was all one giant celebration, just like it was supposed to be. And yet, Billy couldn't help but feel sentimental about the whole thing. He thought back on his life, the people he's met, the thing's he's done and accomplished, everything. It felt like a chapter of his life was quietly shutting the door behind him, knowing that he wouldn't be back but also knowing that it would never be forgotten, either. It was a surprisingly sad feeling.

"Billy!"

Billy whipped around, seeing the group that was cheering him on in the audience. Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Dinah Lance, Oliver Queen, Victor Stone, Hal Jordan, Barry Allen and Diana Prince standing only a few feet away. Ricky and Uncle Dudley were right behind them, and all were wearing the same joyful grins. Billy almost felt small in his teammates presence, which easily dominated the entire room. He always felt like that around them normally, but without being Captain Marvel it was even more pronounced. 

"Hi," he managed to croak out as they all came closer, taking turns hugging him and congratulating him on his success. When it finally got to Bruce, Billy took a moment to stare at the man he's considered a friend to him for many years. He might have been scary or mean looking at first, but now Billy knew just how much of a softy he was. Without even hesitating, Billy have Bruce a giant bear hug, squeezing as hard as he could without the strength of Hercules at his side. When they both finally pulled back, Billy said bluntly, "you know, I love you guys, but I have no idea how I'm going to explain why not only you guys were here, but why  _Bruce_ freaking  _Wayne_ came to my graduation."

That made them all laugh, along with Bruce messing with his hair.

"Well," the billionaire said, casting a glance at the staring eyes around them. His dark blue eyes danced with mischief when he looked back to Billy."

"Just tell them we came to congratulate a hero."

Billy smiled, his face flushing again.

"No," he replied, raising his arms to gesture to all of them. "I'll tell them my  _family_ came to congratulate me."

And the cheer that came from them was enough to squash any fear that he had for the future.          


	3. Decision (Second Outcome)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the alternate part! You know, for as many 'The Justice League finds out about Billy being a kid and must decide if he should stay on the team' fics I've seen, never once have I seen them actually vote for Billy to leave... ;)

Captain Marvel walked into the Justice League meeting room, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Some of the heroes there refused to look at him, while other openly stared, making Billy want to fidget under their gazes. Batman, who was right behind the boy, swiftly walked to his place at the head of the room, his face a careful image of stone and indifference. Billy hated that look, but he understood why the dark knight put it on.

"Captain Marvel," the dark knight started, and Billy involuntarily began holding his breath. This was it. This was the moment he found out their decision, this was the moment he found out whether or not he stayed on the Justice League. He was prepared for both answers, though he had a feeling he knew which one it would be. He wasn't blind to the people around him or what they thought.

"We, the Justice League... have taken vote on if your membership shall... continue or be terminated." Batman paused, his face surprisingly grim and blank all at the same time. His jaw was set, and Billy could practically  _hear_ his teeth grinding. The dread in the boy's stomach lessened slightly, even as he knew the next words that were going to come out of the dark knight's mouth. 

But it wasn't Batman that said the next words. Instead it was Superman, standing up from his place beside the dark knight. "We have decided that Captain Marvel... will not longer be a member of the Justice League." 

And just like that the tension in the room snapped, and despite the words and the harsh eyes of the man of steel burning into him, Billy felt relieved. Relieved that it was all over, relieved he wouldn't have to think about it anymore. Yet even in his relief his chest felt like it wanted to cave in on itself, his heart aching and hurting with betrayal. Some of the League members gave him sympathetic looks when they saw the broken expression on his face, but Billy refused to look at them. Instead, he looked Superman right in the eye. This was what he expected, wasn't it? 

_Then why does it hurt so much? Why does it feel like everything around me just shattered into a million pieces?_

Not even the gods had an answer to that one. 

Maybe he should feel bitter, bitter that even though he's done his fair share of saving the world just like everyone else in this room, that he was still being thrown out like an unwanted trash bag. But he couldn't feel bitter, not even if he wanted to. It wasn't fair to any of the League members, no matter what their opinions were. They voted, and their decision was to terminate his membership. There was nothing to be frustrated or angry about.

Billy swallowed down the burning that was attempting to fill his eyes, and took a breath. "Thank you for letting me be apart of this team while I could. I... I," he stopped, not sure where he was going. "If you ever need me, I'm only a call away."

And with that, the hero walked out of the room, heading to the zeta tube so that it could teleport him to Fawcett City... for the last time. That thought made him pause momentarily, but he quickly shook it off, pressing in his desired location into the zeta tube. He could only imagine what Uncle Dudley would think and say, the older even more nervous about this meeting than he had been. Just before he finally manage to get the courage to press the button, a voice came from behind him.

"Wait."

Billy froze in his place, looking behind him to see... Batman?

The dark knight had his cowl off his face twisted tightly and with pain in his eyes. Billy honestly never expected for him to approach him after all of this, especially not with his cowl down, as if he was trying to be Bruce Wayne and not the Bat. It was an odd thing to think about, seeing as Billy often thought about Bruce Wayne and Batman being the same person, and not two different people that shared the same body. 

"Yes, Batman?" Billy asked calmly. The other hero's eyebrows furrowed together, opening his mouth to say something, but quickly closing it again. It seemed that he was having difficulty saying what he wanted to say, something that Billy has felt many of times before.

"I... I'm sorry I couldn't do more," the dark knight finally said, sounding defeated in a way the boy has never heard before. "I'm sorry I couldn't convince them to trust you... and I'm sorry you're being punished for doing the right thing."

Billy let out a sad chuckle, shaking his head slightly. "Batman, I don't think there's anything you could have done. I chose to keep this a secret, I asked you to keep if from everyone else. This would have been my punishment either way, and you know that." He placed his hand on Batman's shoulder, hoping he was coming off as reassuring. "Now if you'll excuse me, my home it waiting for me."

The other hero simply watched as Captain Marvel activated the zeta tube, teleporting him to the photo booth in the back alleyway in Fawcett City. _It feels good to be back,_  the boy thought. The sun was just starting to set in the city he called home, the chill of winter starting to become stronger and sharper. Making sure that there was no one about to pass the alleyway, Billy looked to the sky and shouted,  _"SHAZAM!"_

The familiar bolt of lightning came hurtling at him, and less than a heartbeat later he was struck by the magical bolt. The boy didn't bother to brush off the excess ash on his being, taking a moment to process what just happened. How he was no longer a League member. How many of them no longer trusted him, and would no longer look at him the same way again. 

Feeling his heart squeeze in his chest again, Billy made his way home.

 

_Six months later..._

 

Billy made his way around the small diner, filling up coffee cups when asked to and taking orders when a customer wanted something else. All of the regulars like Miss Tarry and Mr. Johnson were brought their order before they even said anything (except if you were Mr. Gondon, who ordered something different every Tuesday morning when he showed up to Rana's Diner). 

The boy hurried over to the kitchen window, where he had just heard the bell ringing, signaling that the next order was ready. "Who are these for, Ricky?" Billy asked, taking the plate of oatmeal with a large bowl of fruit to go with it. When he first got this job three months ago, there was no way he would have trusted himself to carry these all in one go, now it was easy. If there was one thing good about being kicked out of the Justice League, it was probably using the spare time he now had to get a job and stay in Fawcett more. He couldn't imagine ever handling a job and League work at the same time.

Ricky smiled at him from his place in the kitchen, the older boy's tall hair tucked into a hair net and currently whisking up pancake batter. When Billy saved him as Captain Marvel six months ago, they had quickly become good friends, bonding over their shared experiences on the streets of Fawcett City. Ricky had a family now, just like Billy had Uncle Dudley, and the older boy offered this job to him. Billy of course accepted this offer, with the promise that if he suddenly disappeared for random periods of time that he wouldn't be fired from it. 

"They're for Mrs. Owens, at the counter," Ricky replies, scooping the now made batter onto the griddle. Billy nods, going behind the counter and stepping up on the small platform so that he could see over it. He placed the order in front of Mrs. Owens, a younger woman who worked as a math teacher at the school both Billy and Ricky went to. She gave him a bright smile, thanking Billy for the food. The boy really liked Mrs. Owens, in fact she was probably his favorite teacher. He would have loved to spend more time with her, but Billy knew he had responsibilities to take care of, especially when he heard the sound of a gentle ring, meaning someone new had entered Rana's Diner. It was two men, both wearing suits.

After he grabbed a fresh pot of coffee, Billy walked over the two as they sat down at the booth by the large window that showed the beautiful day outside, and after a brief observation, the boy decided that he's never seen the two men here before, though something about them seemed awfully familiar. One had his dark hair slicked back, glasses perched on his nose, and the other-

The boy froze so abruptly that the coffee in the pot nearly spilled down his clothes. He couldn't help it, blinking his eyes rapidly to make sure what he was seeing wasn't the production of his imagination. But the man was still there, and he still was the same person he thought he was. 

Bruce Wayne was sitting right in the middle of Rana's Diner, staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

Billy flushed when he realized that he was just standing there, gaping like a fish out of water. He swiftly walked up to the table, saying, "welcome to Rana's Diner, I'm Billy and, uh, I'll be your server." 

The man across from Bruce gave a confused look to the boy, which he pointedly ignored. Bruce was smirking slightly at him, an expression Billy has only seen once before, when Billy had made a horrible bat pun in front of Alfred without even knowing it. Granted, he had been half dead and delirious at the time, but still, it was something one didn't forget easily.

"Billy, I hope you aren't going to pretend you don't know me," Bruce said kindly, softly chuckling at the expression his comrade was giving him. It made Billy flush even more, and in the back of his mind he wondered if Bruce came here on purpose. After all, he was freakin  _Batman._

But before the boy could come up with some stuttering answer, the ground around started to shake and wobble, like there was a sheet that got pulled from under their feet at the exact same time. Billy instinctively grabbed onto the side of the table, looking out the window of the diner to see what looked like some sort of dinosaur like being making its way through the streets of Fawcett City. He knew instantly that it was a situation that Captain Marvel must intervene before too many people got hurt.

"Of course Sivana would make a freaking dinosaur," he said, mainly to himself, but the unknown man's eyes darted to his, as if asking what in the world that was supposed to mean. Billy simply shrugged, yelling over to Ricky, "you can get them to safety, right?"

The older boy nodded firmly, already gathering up the other customers in the diner to get them to somewhere safe. Billy was just about to run out towards the prehistoric reptile when a very strong (almost  _scarily_ strong) hand grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. "Where are you going?" the man demanded, causing the boy to simply look up at him. It was then Billy noticed his bright blue eyes, firm and familiar. This was a look he's been given before, one that was burned into his memory on more than one occasion.

"Superman?" Billy blurted out as another shock wave vibrated through the city, nearly sending Billy flying off his feet, but the man,  _Superman,_ kept him grounded. 

He didn't have time to give the man of steel an explanation for anything at the moment. Innocent people were getting hurt, and the longer he stayed in here, the more damage would be done to the city. The boy tried to break away from the man's grip, his his grip (unironically) was like steel around his arm. At this Billy narrowed his eyes, looking right in Superman's eyes.

"The longer you keep me in here, the more destruction happens to my home!"

The man of steel's eyes darted to Bruce's, whose face remained impassive throughout the whole thing. When he looked back to Billy, his mouth was pressed harshly into a thin line. With a raise and flick of his hand Superman took off his glasses, shoving them into his suit pocket. Before the boy could ask what in the world he was doing, Bruce put a hand on the man of steel's shoulder.

"Clark, what are you  _doing?'_ he demanded, no longer easy going and calm like he had been moments before the dinosaur showed up. Billy had just enough time to register that Superman's real name was Clark before he was shoved over to Bruce, who stumbled slightly as he caught the boy.

"I'm helping out Fawcett City," Superman said firmly, beginning to unbutton the top of his shirt. Billy saw the familiar glimpse of the blue that made up the majority of Superman's outfit, realizing what the man of steel's intention was. The boy opened his mouth, ready to protest in any way he knew how, but it was too late. In an instant, so fast that no human eye could track it, Superman was gone. A heartbeat later there was a roar from the dinosaur, along with a  _BOOM_ from where the reptile was undoubtedly hit.

Billy starred in the place where Superman had been moments before, too stunned to react. It was almost like... Superman didn't trust him enough to protect his own city. Or he was too caught up in the fact that he was a kid to allow him to do the job he did daily when he was here. 

Tears burned behind the boy's eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Honestly, in moments like this he was glad he was no longer apart of the Justice League. If he had to deal with things like  _this_ all the time... he didn't know if he could keep it up. There was nothing to stop him from running out there and joining Superman to take down the reptile, but he instinctively knew his presence wouldn't be appreciated by the man of steel. Batman might be able to see the worthiness of Captain Marvel  _and_ Billy Batson, but it was clear everyone else had not.

Billy yanked himself out of Bruce's grip, walking swiftly and silently over to where Ricky was getting the last of the paterons out of the diner, ignoring Bruce's protests and apologies for Clark. He also kept his gaze away from Ricky, who was giving him a confused look.

"It's fine, Mr. Wayne, it really is," Billy said quietly, refusing to look the older hero in the eye. "I know where I'm not wanted."

Then he walked out of Rana's Diner, the roar of the battle in the streets raging on without him. 

 

_Two months later..._

 

 

"You know, for a giant space rodent you sure  _look_ like you came from Earth," Green Arrow quipped, quickly rolling out of the way when said alien tried to breath fire at him. "And I see you don't like the comparison! My mistake." The archer began running, loading an explosive arrow into his quiver and swiftly firing it. The arrow landed perfectly right between the alien's eyes, exploding on impact. But the alien just roared, seemingly unhurt by it at all.

"Well  _crap._ "

Why in the world did the League constantly assign him to the supernatural and space monsters? He was a dude with a freakin bow and arrow, and most of the time none of the tools in his arsenal did  _nothing_ to their opponent. He was basically one big annoying distraction while the others took it out.

Huh. Maybe  _that_ was his purpose at these things. 

"I should really invest in holy water arrows!" Green Arrow yelled dodging yet another wave of fire breath. Black Canary and Wonder Woman attacked it at the same time, but the Themysciran princess's sword did nothing to pierce the green skin and Canary's scream didn't phase it one bit. They were both quickly thrown out of the way by the alien's long, slimy arms, being knocked into a nearby building.

Green Arrow ran to them just as Batman came over the comm in his ear, sounding as emotionless and indifferent as usual. "We need a heavy hitter to help us take this one out."

"Geez, you think," the archer commented sarcastically as he helped Black Canary and Wonder Woman up. Cyborg was having his go at the alien, using that giant cannon of his to blast the thing. The alien roared once again, charging at Cyborg, who in a blink of an eye was teleported to the other side of the charging beast. "I thought just a couple of dudes with fancy weapons would take out a freakin  _space_ alien. I wonder why it didn't work."

The rest of his teammates either ignored him or didn't hear him (accept Canary. She just gave him a look and he shut up. He would like to go home with a happy wife that night) because he got nothing back. Instead, Cyborg asked, "is Superman available?"

The reply came from Batman, who had just thrown a bunch of batbombs (really, Bruce,  _bat_ bombs?) at the alien. "No, he's offworld with the Green Lanterns. The only Lantern currently here is Stewart but he's been assigned to something else and can't be of help to us at the moment."

Well dang. "What about Martian Manhunter?" Canary questioned, cracking her knuckles as she and the other two began looking for an opening. 

"On an undercover infiltration mission. He isn't expected to be back for another two weeks." 

Shit.

Green Arrow, Black Canary and Wonder Woman all lepted out of the way as a wave a fire as is swept across the ground, the heat singeing the bottom of the archer's boots. He had an idea in mind of who they could call, but he was kinda nervous to say anything, mostly because he wasn't sure how the others would react. Hell, he wasn't even sure if  _he_ was alright with it, for more than one reason. 

The archer sighed to himself, wishing he didn't have to put so much thought into saving his city from a freaking alien. It should be easy, to suggest that they call Captain Marvel to help them take this thing out, but he couldn't. Not when they literally kicked out the kid months ago, and have rarely seen him at all, let alone in missions. The press had and absolute  _field day_ when they found out that Captain Marvel was no longer in the Justice League, and for weeks many reporters followed him and other members to try and get them talking. It was stressful to say the least, and it was one of the reasons Green Arrow didn't want to drag him into this. If he did, there was a very high chance the press would try and get to him  _again,_ and well, every hero knows the press is already a pain to deal with. 

Lets just say Green Arrow felt sympathetic towards the kid. He may of had the powers of fucking  _gods_ but he was still that: a kid. A kid, he reminded himself, that's saved his ass on more than one occasion. Didn't Flash say something about that?

As the alien charged into another building, taking it half of it out in one go, Green Arrow decided that Captain Marvel no longer being on the League didn't really matter when an alien was attacking. They wanted,  _needed_ a heavy hitter to take this guy out. And if there was no one else around...  

"Captain Marvel's gotta be available, right? Surely he can give us five minutes of his time to help us take out this thing," Green Arrow said, firing another arrow at the alien, this time releasing a huge net. He realized that it wouldn't last very long, but it would be a useful distraction while it lasted, the alien swatting angrily at it.

All of his teammates froze around him, staring at the archer like he had grown an extra head or something. Wonder Woman's eyes were particularly guarded, colder than Green Arrow was used to seeing them. He could visibly see the Amazon's grip on her sword tighten, making him want to gulp. An angry Wonder Woman was not a good Wonder Woman to deal with.

"Look, I know about the whole 'it'll be awkward and weird' bullshit, but I think we should put the safety of my city before our feelings. Now, if there's anyone else you guys can think of that could help us take this thing out I would gladly shut my pie hole, but nothing else has been said." Green Arrow shrugged, giving Batman, who was looking at him like he wanted to snap the archers fibula, what was hopefully a charming smile.

A moment later the dark knight was pressing a finger to his comm, barking out, "Captain Marvel. We need you at these coordinates ASAP." Without waiting for any kind of response the archer could see Batman turned it back off. 

"Wait," Wonder Woman protested, the alien finally starting to rip through the netting. "Are we sure Captain Marvel's presence is needed here-"

"It doesn't matter now. He'll be here shortly." Batman's tone left nothing up for debate, even as the Themyscarian princess continued to glare at him with and expression that Green Arrow had trouble reading. The archer knew just how strongly Wonder Woman had opposed Captain Marvel's presence on the Justice League after finding out he was nothing but a boy, but this still seemed kind of  _weird_ for her to be reacting this way. He wasn't even  _on_ the League anymore, so what what else was there to protest about? Sure, he was still fighting baddies and other worldly beings, but like mentioned before, he had the powers of  _gods_ helping him out, which was  _way_ more than any of them had.

Another minute later, in which Wonder Woman threw her shield and attempted to restrain the alien with her lasso, Cyborg gave another go at the cannon arm, with  _both_ arms this time, Batman threw a handful of batarangs with some sort of goo on them, Green Arrow shoot in arrow after arrow to pull away the aliens attention, and Black Canary used herself to distract it, there was a strong gust of air that nearly knocked the archer off his feet. The smell of lightning and ooze filled the air, and within a blink of his eye there was a figure in red slamming into the alien, knocking it back a good two hundred feet.

Right where the alien once was, Captain Marvel stood in his red clad glory, fists dancing with lightning. He turned his head to look at all of them, a small smile on his face, though Green Arrow could tell it was slightly guarded, like he was looking a friendly strangers. 

"Hi guys," he said, and a heartbeat later he was flying right back to the alien, lifting it up into the air with his strength and rocketing into the sky, leaving a small cloud of dust in his wake.

Green Arrow whistled, lifting his head to look to the place where Marvel disappeared. "Well  _that_ was easy," the archer exclaimed, chuckling softly to himself. In all honesty, he  _missed_ having the kid around, and not just because he made things ten times faster, but also because of his bubbly personality and heart of gold that only a child could have. It was nice to talk to someone who thought only the best in people and looked onto the world with so much optimism.

_Too bad we can't really talk much anymore._

"Yes," Wonder Woman said cautiously, lowering her sword to her side. "I suppose it was."

"How long do you think he'll be up there?" Black Canary asked, using her chin to gesture to the sky.

"Knowing Cap, he'll be up there for about five minutes, depending on what he does with the alien," answered Cyborg, using a port on his arm to bring up a screen with numbers that Green Arrow had no hope of understanding. "So I suggest we start helping the first responders look for injured and start cleaning up what's left."

The other heroes mumbled in agreement, and a moment later, Captain Marvel appeared back on the ground, no alien with him anymore. He no longer had that small smile on his face, cape fluttering in the unfelt wind around him. If he didn't know any better, Green Arrow might have thought him and Superman were somehow related. The kid even had the cape thing down pat! All he would need is a boy scout sash or whatever they wear (though, it's quite possible he already has one).

"Uh, the a-alien is gone now," he stuttered slightly, rubbing the back of his neck like he was expecting to be yelled at. Though, considering what had happened, the archer thought that was probably not far from the truth. 

But before anything else was done, the media chose that exact moment to show up, first surrounding Marvel, who just so happened to be the closest. They all shoved their microphones and questions at him like fireworks, making the red clad hero look very uncomfortable and claustrophobic. While the other heroes knew that he was no stranger to the media wanting to interview him after a fight like this, he  _was_ a stranger to this many and this aggressive. Green Arrow's seen Fawcett City's reporters when they interact with Marvel; it's almost like they're speaking to a friend and having a casual conversation with the guy. Hell, more often than not, Marvel will actually call them by their  _names._ It was quite impressive if the archer were to be honest.

But the poor Captain was not used to Star City reporters. They were exactly use to seeing their resident heroes when they showed up, so when they  _did_ have one... it was basically a field day for them. Especially when that hero happened to be the center of some controversy and speculation. 

"Captain Marvel! Do you know what that creature was?" demanded one, the microphone in her hand practically shoved up Marvel's nose at this point. 

"Uh... I believe it was some kind of space alien," the Captain replied awkwardly, trying to back away from the mass around him. It didn't work very well.

"Where was it from?" questioned another, a man from the back with only a pen and paper. 

"Um, I don't really know?" he said, almost to himself. A glance at Batman told Green Arrow that the dark knight was ready to step in and stop the whole thing, but not before a different reporter managed to call out-

"-Why did the Justice League terminate your membership?"

And every muscle in Captain Marvel's body froze, his eyes darting away so that no one could look him in the eye. The archer cast a nervous glance at Black Canary, seeing the way her entire body tensed up. No one said anything for several seconds, until Marvel seemed to find his voice.

"That's a personal matter that I do no wish to discuss," the red clad hero stated firmly, rising into the air to escape the reporters. "Now if you excuse me, I have a job to do," and flew over to the five Justice League members, beginning to clean up some of the damage without being asked to. They all gradually followed, noticing the way Marvel refused to look at any of them directly and kept his voice low when talking to them. 

They all stayed there well into the evening, when the sun was nearly down and the lights of Star City were starting to twinkle and the warmth of the day cooled. By now almost everything was cleared, with the last of the damages being paid for mysteriously by an anonymous donor  _(Sometimes having two billionaires one the Justice League had its perks)._ It was then when Green Arrow saw Batman approach Marvel, whispering in a low voice that the archer couldn't hear. A few moments later the red clad hero was nodding at the dark knight, looking relieved at whatever he had said. 

Before Green Arrow could wonder what was exchanged between the two, Marvel shot into the air, disappearing from sight like he had hours before with the alien. The archer simply raised an eyebrow, wondering where he went.

"Good job kid," he whispered under his breath, wondering if the other could hear him. "Maybe next time it won't be so awkward between all of us."

 

_Six years later..._

 

If Billy were to be honest, he never thought he'd live to the day where he graduated high school.

There were too many factors going against him: the fact that between eight and eleven he didn't go to school regularly, the constant responsibility of his hero duties that made him go away for sometimes days at a time, and everything in between. It wasn't that Billy thought he wasn't smart, heck, he  _knew_ he was smart, but if he ended up not having a high school diploma, he decided it wouldn't be all that bad. After all, he never expected most of the things in his life to happen the way they did, not Uncle Dudley, not Shazam, and definitely not high school.

Yet here he was, dressed in a cap and gown, about to go on the stage that Fawcett High School had put up just for the occasion, ready to accept his diploma from Principle Kin. It was something that not even his wildest dreams could make up, but it was very, very real.

Billy's eyes found Uncle Dudley as his name grew closer and closer. The older man gave him a warm grin, his eyes encouraging and filled with excitement. He grinned back, hoping he didn't look as nervous as the butterflies in his stomach made him. He didn't have the courage of Achilles, but he  _did_ have the courage of Billy Batson, something he wasn't sure was very strong to begin with. 

"Laylah Addison," Principle Kin called out, another round of applause coming from the large crowd of parents, friends, and fellow students. "George Alister... DeShawn Aster... Owen Baldwin..." and finally, "William Batson."

Billy began walking up the stairs, smiling to himself when he could make out Uncle Dudley and Ricky's voices in the crowd. The older boy had promised Billy he would make it to his graduation two years ago, something that Billy had laughed at the thought of at the time. So much could change in two years, and in his line of work, he knew that two years could mean the difference between life and death.

He came to the top of the stairs, glancing out to the audience to catch a glimpse of Ricky sitting with Uncle Dudley. They waved to him, and Billy gave a small one back in response. Then, he turned back to his principle, who was waiting with his diploma. Billy shook the hand of Principle Kin as he took it, feeling a swell of pride at the piece of paper being placed into his hands. As he started to walk off stage, Billy took another look to the audience, feeling as if there were eyes burning into him. It was a feeling he never got used to or liked, but when he tried to find the source, there was nothing out of the ordinary to see.

Billy furrowed his eyebrows together, thinking he was missing something as he walked down the stairs. He most certainly  _wasn't_  imagining it, that was for sure. He just couldn't tell who the culprit was, he reasoned to himself. After all, there were so many faces, it would be impossible to figure out so quickly.

He took his seat beside Owen Baldwin, keeping his body turned forward even has the back of his neck tingled. He did his best to pay attention to his fellow classmates and forget about it, but he couldn't. What if one of his villains had decided to attack Fawcett High? What if one of them had finally figured out his identity, and planned on revealing it to the world?

Billy was thrown out of his thoughts by DeShawn and Owen from next to him, talking in hushed whispers. They were quiet enough that no one would really notice, but not enough that Billy couldn't hear what they were saying. And believe him, Billy did  _not_ expect the words that came from  _either_ of their mouths.

"Are you absolutely  _sure_ it was him?" DeShawn pressed Owen, her dark eyes hesitant and disbelieving. She and Billy never really interacted much, but he knew DeShawn was sharp as a whip and took no crap from anyone. How she and Owen, probably the biggest goofball in the entire graduating class, got along was beyond him, but hey, who was he to judge? He's made friends with weirder.

"I'm  _positive,_ Shawn!" Owen exclaimed back, looking over his shoulder. "I saw Bruce Wayne! I  _has_ to be him, I mean, no one else even comes  _close_ to looking like that."

Billy froze completely at his words, breath stuttering.  _Bruce Wayne was here?_

DeShawn sighed to herself, rolling her eyes. "Okay, that's great and all, but can you tell me  _why_ Wayne would be here in the first place? Does he just show up to random high school graduations for no reason?"

Owen shrugged. "Look, I don't pretend to know the workings of the universe. Maybe he knows one of the students here, and he's here for, I don't know, support?"

DeShawn snorted, turning her attention back to the stage. "Perhaps it's another one of his adopted orphans, or even another biological son. Wouldn't surprise me at this point," she said, nearly sounding bitter at the thought. Billy decided he couldn't listen longer after that, the words giving him a sour taste in his mouth. Instead, he went to his own head, where he's become a master of tuning everything out to be left alone with this thoughts.

_I wonder why Mr. Wayne is here..._ he thought to himself, wishing he had the wisdom of Solomon to help him with the question. Sure, the man has talked to him a lot throughout the years, especially when he got kicked out of the Justice League, but there was no real reason for him to be here.

Finally, Principle Kin got to the end of his list of names, calling out, "and finally, Raven Zenfill!" taking Billy out of his head and to the present moment. 

Raven grabbed her diploma and took her place at the last chair available, and whole crowd erupting into cheers and Kin announced, "introducing, your new graduated Seniors!"

Everyone, including Billy, took off their caps, throwing them up into the air. They rained down like large pieces of confetti, people cheering and yelling with joy, friends hugging friends and meeting up with family. It was all one giant celebration, just like it was supposed to be. And yet, Billy couldn't help but feel sentimental about the whole thing. He thought back on his life, the people he's met, the thing's he's done and accomplished, everything. It felt like a chapter of his life was quietly shutting the door behind him, knowing that he wouldn't be back but also knowing that it would never be forgotten, either. It was a surprisingly sad feeling.

"Billy."

Billy slowly turned around, seeing none other then Bruce Wayne standing a few feet away, along with Uncle Dudley and Ricky. There was a fond smile one his face, warm and gentle. It was a smile he specially reserved for rare moments, one that wasn't Bruce Wayne or Batman, just simply  _him._

Billy ignored the obvious stares of the people around him and those who were gawking openly at Bruce, walking closer to the man. His presence filled the entire room without even trying, calling attention to everyone and everything. To many people, he was a billionaire playboy with way too much money and not enough responsibility. To a smaller group, he was Batman, the fearless leader of the Justice League that was the world's greatest detective. To Billy, he was a friend and someone he trusted.

"Hi, he managed to croak out, hoping he didn't sound too lame. "You know, I have  _no_ idea how I'm going to explain why  _Bruce Wayne_ came to watch me graduate." 

Bruce chuckled, eyes twinkling. "Yes, I'd love to hear what you'll tell them." Then the man raised his arms, asking an unsaid question. Without even hesitating, Billy gave Bruce a giant bear hug, squeezing as hard as he could without the strength of Hercules at his side. He really liked the man's hugs, even if he gave few and far in between.

"You know what I'm going to tell them?" Billy said, a mischievous grin on his face. "I'm going to tell them a friend from work came to congratulate me."

And the laugh he got from Bruce, Uncle Dudley and Ricky was enough to squash any fear he had of the future. 

If only the people in his past had realized something similar while they had the chance. Now, they will never truly know who Billy Batson is.        

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, it's been exactly a year since I first posted my first fic ever on this sight. Thank you all for so much support in that time!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a comment.
> 
> ~Magical_Devil_Alex


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